U.S. Sends Top Iranian Leader a Warning on Strait Threat

[alp227]

The Obama administration is relying on a secret channel of communication to warn Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, that closing the Strait of Hormuz is a “red line” that would provoke an American response, according to United States government officials.

The officials declined to describe the unusual contact between the two governments, and whether there had been an Iranian reply. Senior Obama administration officials have said publicly that Iran would cross a “red line” if it made good on recent threats to close the strait, a strategically crucial waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, where 16 million barrels of oil — about a fifth of the world’s daily oil trade — flow through every day.

Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said this past weekend that the United States would “take action and reopen the strait,” which could be accomplished only by military means, including minesweepers, warship escorts and potentially airstrikes. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta told troops in Texas on Thursday that the United States would not tolerate Iran’s closing of the strait.

The secret communications channel was chosen to underscore privately to Iran the depth of American concern about rising tensions over the strait, where American naval officials say their biggest fear is that an overzealous Revolutionary Guards naval captain could do something provocative on his own, setting off a larger crisis.

full: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/13/world/middleeast/us-warns-top-iran-leader-not-to-shut-strait-of-hormuz.html?pagewanted=all

[Old and In the Way]

1. That's my biggest fear as well.

"an overzealous Revolutionary Guards naval captain could do something provocative on his own, setting off a larger crisis. " There is no wiggle room in the Straits...if an twitchy finger (on either side) lets one of those missiles go, who knows how fast and hard this could escalate from there...it would be much faster than cooler prevailing heads could react.

[SixthSense]

2. we keep this up

and we may just end up losing a carrier

Iran is sitting on a metric ton of surface-to-water missiles and anything in the Gulf is a sitting duck, even without closure of the Strait.

If that Strait is closed and we've got a carrier inside it, forget about the oil, we have serious issues.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/where.htm

[newfie11]

3. Boys and their toys

And the world will pay the price if this turns to war. Something I am convinced the military establishment in America is trying to accomplish!

The fat cats that build the big war toys will love it, we will lose sons/daughters, fathers/moms, brothers/sisters and for what MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THIS IS INSANITY!